The Palestinian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates issued a statement today expressing deep concern over the Israeli government’s reported granting of extensive powers to Zionist Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich for the approval of settlement construction and expansion.
The Ministry views this move as a significant development in the path towards a complete Israeli annexation of the West Bank.
In its press release, the Foreign Ministry emphasized the grave implications of this decision, describing it as another deliberate step towards the application of Israeli law to the West Bank. It also highlighted the potential consequences of facilitating the “quiet, noiseless” endorsement of settlement projects.
Urging for concrete international and American action, the Foreign Ministry called upon the Israeli government to reconsider this decision and emphasized the importance of taking practical measures to compel ‘Israel’ to cease its illegal unilateral actions.
The Ministry’s statement highlights the urgent need for international engagement and intervention to address this alarming situation and promote a just resolution that respects the rights and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians.
BREAKING: The Israeli occupation’s government has decided to grant far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich powers to approve settlement construction and expansion in the occupied West Bank, according to Israeli news reports. pic.twitter.com/oNxagfMRNn
— Quds News Network (@QudsNen) June 18, 2023
Political Retaliation?
Hussein al-Sheikh, the Secretary-General of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), said today that the Palestinian leadership has decided to boycott the meeting of the Palestinian-Israeli Higher Economic Committee meeting.
He said the decision comes in response to the decision of the Israeli government to accelerate settlement construction in the West Bank, including authorizing far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to approve settlement orders.
Al-Sheikh said in a tweet that the Palestinian leadership will also consider a number of measures regarding the relationship with ‘Israel’.
Confrontations in WB
Clashes erupted overnight as Israeli occupation forces stormed the cities of Jenin and Tulkarm in the northern region of the occupied West Bank.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported.
In Jenin, an Israeli army unit entered the city and the surrounding areas, provoking confrontations with local residents, particularly those in the adjacent Jenin refugee camp. Although the Israeli occupying army employed live ammunition and stun grenades, there were no casualties.
Furthermore, an Israeli army force also raided the nearby town of Arraba, resulting in the arrest of a young Palestinian man after soldiers conducted a search of his home.
In Tulkarm, clashes broke out between Israeli occupation soldiers and Palestinian youth following the incursion into the city and the adjacent Tulkarm and Nour Shams refugee camps.
According to local sources, the Israeli occupation soldiers fired live ammunition, tear gas, and stun grenades at the local residents.
Settlers Break into Aqsa
This came as groups of Israeli settlers guarded by Israeli police broke into the courtyards of the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied Jerusalem this morning, according to witnesses.
Scores of Israeli settlers entered the compound through the Moroccan Gate in groups and performed rituals there under the protection of Israeli police officers, local sources said.
During the presence of the Israeli settlers inside the holy site, Israeli police imposed restrictions on the entry of Palestinian Muslims into the holy site, including bodily searching some of them and retaining their identity cards.
Arrests in Gaza
In a separate incident illustrating the ongoing Israeli aggression, two Palestinians were detained today for allegedly approaching the frontier fence in the northernmost area of the Gaza Strip, as witnessed by bystanders.
Witnesses quoted by WAFA correspondent revealed that Israeli occupation soldiers stationed in watchtowers along the border in the north of the Gaza Strip apprehended two Palestinians who had entered the area. The detainees’ whereabouts remain unknown.
It is a common occurrence for the Israeli occupation army to target Palestinian civilians with gunfire and occasionally detain them whenever they approach the unilaterally imposed Israeli buffer zone along the Gaza border.
Settlers Engage in Sheep Theft
According to local sources, colonial Israeli settlers stole 10 sheep last night from Palestinians in the village of Yasuf, located in the occupied West Bank province of Salfit.
Mayor Saleh Yasin of the village informed WAFA that a group of Israeli settlers from the nearby colonial settlement of Tappuah took 10 sheep belonging to Tha’er Naeem Ebeid, a local Palestinian resident.
Thefts and acts of vandalism committed by Israeli settlers are regrettably commonplace across the occupied West Bank, yet rarely do these actions lead to prosecution by Israeli occupation authorities.
Settlers’ Protests against Netanyahu Persist
For the 24th consecutive week, Israeli settler protests resumed on Saturday against the government’s proposed judicial overhaul plans, spearheaded by Israeli occupation Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
According to Israeli Channel 13, these protests are a response to the suspension of talks between Netanyahu and the opposition coalition, along with the continuous pressure exerted on the opposition to unilaterally pass the legislation.
Israelis take to the street for the 24th week – To protect their democracy! pic.twitter.com/hY9TC68IAF
— Ashok Swain (@ashoswai) June 17, 2023
The channel highlighted that demonstrators are rallying in over 150 locations, considering the protest movement to have entered a decisive phase.
In anticipation of the demonstrations, Israeli police preemptively closed several streets in “Tel Aviv” and occupied Haifa.
Israeli media noted the presence of former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, interim head of the Israeli Bar Association Amit Bachar, hi-tech entrepreneur Ran Har Nebo, and journalist Or-Lee Barlev among the speakers and attendees at the main demonstration on “Kaplan Street.”
Source: Al-Manar English Website
